DID YOU READ

15 observations on the Sundance line-up.

The U.S. and world competition line-ups are here; the premieres and sidebars are here.

Documentary Competition:

1. Sundance often leans toward the documentary-as-journalism/vehicle for activism, and, from the descriptions, there’s again plenty of that this year: Joe Berlinger (going solo!) has “Crude” is “the inside story of the ‘Amazon Chernobyl’ case in the rainforest of Ecuador”; “Dirt! The Movie” is about “how humans are rapidly destroying the last natural resource on earth”; “The Cove” follows “a group of activists led by Ric O’Barry, the man behind Flipper” as they look into environmental horrors in a small cove in Japan.

2. Tom DiCillo, of “Johnny Suede” and “Living in Oblivion,” has made a Doors documentary?!

Dramatic Competition:

3. John Krasinski’s “Brief Interviews with Hideous Men” has the burden/advantage of the recent and terrible death of David Foster Wallace going for it. The description: “When her boyfriend leaves with little explanation, a doctoral candidate in anthropology tries to remedy her heartache by interviewing men about their behavior.” I don’t doubt that Krasinski’s smart, but shaping DFW’s narrative-free monologuey short stories into a highly Sundancey framing story doesn’t sound promising. Incidentally, “The Mysteries of Pittsburgh” was one of last year’s two high-profile lit adaptations (the other being “Choke”), but it was such a dog that no one’s touched it.

5. I blame the copy, but “Peter and Vandy” sounds like a sillier version of “5×2.”

6. Cary Joji Fukunaga, of “Sin Nombre,” had one of the better shorts to screen at the New York Film Festival a few years ago, 2004’s “Victoria Para Chino.” That short has one of the better IMDb comments attached to it:

It might have been interesting to see the film without subtitles, so that the Mexicans really have their own identity and you have to really pay attention to them. This can be easily accomplished by the viewer, however, by making your hand flat like the horizon, and then putting your horizon hand over the subtitles. This starts to hurt after a while because even though this film is short, you must keep your hand there for the whole time as the whole thing is basically in Spanish.

World Cinema Documentary Competition:

7. In general sounds a bit more interesting than the main doc competish. Take “Afghan Star,” about how “after 30 years of war and Taliban rule, Pop Idol has come to television in Afghanistan”; or “Big River Man,” about how “an overweight, wine-swilling Slovenian world-record-holding endurance swimmer resolves to brave the mighty Amazon”; or “Nollywood Babylon,” about Nigeria’s video-based movie industry.

World Cinema Dramatic Competition:

8. Tom Hardy playing a notoriously violent criminal in the new film from the “Pusher” trilogy’s Nicolas Winding Refn? Look righteously nutty — here’s the UK site. “The Clone Returns,” a Japanese feature about an “astronaut who dies during a mission is subsequently resurrected as a clone and returns to his childhood home,” and a “An Education,” a Nick Hornby-scripted drama directed by “Italian for Beginners”‘ Lone Scherfig seem promising.

Premieres:

9. “500 Days of Summer” wins the prize for most Sundance movie summation: “When an unlucky greeting card copywriter is dumped by his girlfriend, the hopeless romantic shifts back and forth through various periods of their 500 days ‘together’ in hopes of figuring out where things went wrong.”

10. Antoine Fuqua?

12. The fact that “I Love You Philip Morris” is written/directed by the screenwriters of “Bad Santa” makes me think it might actually be as good as I’d like it to be. Meanwhile, is “Manure” a return to form for the Polish brothers? The stills look marvelously “Northfork”esque.

13. Diego Luna and Gael García Bernal play brothers in “Rudo and Cursi,” the feature debut of Alfonso Cuarón;s brother Carlos, who co-wrote the screenplay for “Y tu mamá también.” So they’re probably not going to make out this time.

Spectrum:

14. Bobcat Goldthwait, yay!

Midnight:

15. There’s something a little off about putting Lil’ Wayne doc “The Carter” in this line-up alongside a Nazi-zombie movie (“Dead Snow”) and a vampire baby one (“Grace”), no?

The Best Of The Last

The end is near. In mere days Portlandia wraps up its final season, and oh what a season it’s been. Lucky for you, you can watch the entire season right now right here and on the IFC app, including this free episode courtesy of Subaru.

But now, let’s take a moment to look back at some of the new classics Fred and Carrie have so thoughtfully bestowed upon us. (We’ll be looking back through tear-blurred eyes, but you do you.)

Couples Dinner

It’s not that being single sucks, it’s that you suck if you’re single.

Cancel it!

A sketch for anyone who has cancelled more appointments than they’ve kept. Which is everyone.

Forgotten America

This one’s a “Serial” killer…everything both right and wrong about true crime podcasts.

Wedding Planners

The only bad wedding is a boring wedding.

Disaster Hut

It’s only the end of the world if your doomsday kit doesn’t include rosé.

Your Portlandia Personality Test

Carrie and Fred understand that although we have so much in common, we’re each so beautifully unique and different. To help us navigate those differences, Portlandia has found an easy and honest way to embrace our special selves in the form of a progressive new traffic system: a specific lane for every kind of driver. It’s all in honor of the show’s 8th and final season, and it’s all presented by Subaru.

Ready to find out who you really are? Match your personality to a lane and hop on the expressway to self-understanding.

Lane 10: Trucks Piled With Junk

Your junk is falling out of your trunk. Shake a tail light, people — this lane is for you.

Lane 33: Twins

You’re like a Gemini, but waaaay more pedestrian. Maybe you and a friend just wear the same outfits a lot. Who cares, it’s just twinning enough to make you feel special.

Lane 27: Broken Windows

Bad luck follows you around and everyone knows it. Your proverbial seat is always damp from proverbial rain. Is this the universe telling you to swallow your pride? Yes.

Lane 69: Filthy Cars

You’re all about convenience. Getting your car washed while you drive is a no-brainer.

Lane 43: Newly Divorced Singles

It’s been a while since you’ve driven alone, and you don’t know the rules of the road anymore. What’s too fast? What’s too slow? Are you sending the right signals? Don’t worry, the breakdown lane is nearby if you need it.

Still can’t find a lane to match your personality? Check out all the videos here. And see the final season of Portlandia this spring on IFC.

Last-Minute Holiday Gift Guide

It’s the final countdown to Christmas and thanks to IFC’s movie marathon all Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, you can revel in classic ’80s films AND find inspiration for your last-minute gifts. Here are our recommendations, if you need a head start:

Musical Instrument

Great analog entertainment substitute when you refuse to give your kid the Nintendo Switch they’ve been drooling over.

Breakfast In Bed

Any significant other or child would appreciate these Uncle Buck-approved flapjacks. Just make sure you’re not stuck on clean up duty.

Cocktail Supplies

You’ll need them to get through the holidays.

Dance Lessons

So you can learn to shake-shake-shake (unless you know ghosts willing to lend a hand).

Comfy Clothes

With all the holiday meals, there may be some…embigenning.

Get even more great inspiration all Christmas Eve and Day on IFC, and remember…